Last Words
by therunningpen
Summary: Post Avengers Endgame: Steve tries to do the impossible with the stones and his reactions to her fate. (This is for the romanogers fans out there)
1. Chapter 1: His Last Words

**Chapter 1: His Last Words**

"Hey. " Sam softly utters to Bruce with a rarely used tone of urgency. Bruce is half listening, his attention preoccupied with the equipment on the walls of the space enabled quinjet.

"How long are we gonna do this?"

"It should have worked, with the reality, time and soul stones it should have worked. Theoretically — the simulations checked out, Friday said 99.99%..." Bruce's words fall on deaf ears as he attempts to convince himself he was right, what they were doing was right, because reality was telling a very different story.

"Bruce. It's been 30 minutes. For god's sake. This is wrong. Someone needs to tell him, or he's not going to stop."

"Dammit. We should have brought Shuri, maybe if we go to Wakanda they can…"

Sam grasps Bruce's green bicep tightly and his attention is forcibly taken off the medical equipment.

"They can what? Resurrect her?"

Bruce looks down in defeat, and the only sound that can be heard is the loud beeping noise coming from the cardiac monitor that designates asystole… no heart beat.

"Yeah, last time I checked THAT wasn't a thing. And THAT wasn't the plan. Besides you know exactly why we couldn't bring Shuri. The risk was too high. This was a hail mary at best, we all knew that going in and we had to try, but we need to call it. For Him."

Sam nods his head toward the painful sight behind him, Steve performing chest compressions while murmuring desperate pleas.

"Nat, come on, don't do this" the sounds of him pressing up and down on her chest are the only response.

"I've got you..."

"You've … just… Nat, you gotta meet me halfway here."

"I never meant... you had to know I never meant…this...not like this. "

"Oh God, I-I should have… I didn't ..."

"I just need you to come back. Dammit, just come back. For me, please?"

"Please, God, just please."

Sam approaches and places a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Steve." Steve jumps at the interruption and looks over to his best friend, realizing he forgot the two other avengers were there with him.

Steve looks to Sam with wild eyes and sees his melancholy expression. Sam shakes his head side to side.

"No." Steve panics in a way he never has before.

"NO, not yet. I can do this, we can do this. She's there I can feel it. Just, give me more time. I-I can do this all day. As long as her blood is pumping and we're breathing for her, sh-she'll be okay. Right? Bruce?"

Steve looks to Bruce, and Bruce won't -no can't make eye contact.

"She- she can't be. She, she's right here… right here in front of me."

"I know," Sam uses his voice reserved for his group of veterans back home "but remember we agreed. Before we came here, we all agreed that no matter how painful it would be, we would in the very least bring her home for her funeral, to honor her. And it would be better than not trying at all."

Steve has stopped the compressions. Listening to the horrific truth in the Falcon's words.

"We only have a small time window for this and it's closing soon. If we don't make the quantum jump soon, we won't make it home. All of us. It's time."

Steve nods his head in acknowledgment, but still not taking his eyes off her still form.

"Can you give us a minute?"

Sam and Bruce go to exit the main cabin of the quintet. Bruce turns off the sound of the machines on his way to the front of the shop, while Sam casts a lingering expression of concern.

"We'll be in the cockpit if you need us. We have 30 minutes until the jump."

Once alone, Steve was drowning in his thoughts. His eyes dance over her still body. God, even now, she was beautiful. He reaches to tuck a stray strand of crimson hair behind her ear.

" I-I don't know where to start. Where do I begin to tell you how much you mean to me. I didn't realize how, how important you've become. I—"

Steve lets out a breath with quivering lips. Trying to keep it together, then a cynical chuckle escapes.

"I guess I really am predictable, huh? First Peggy, now you… You would probably make fun of my age about now, something like you can't teach an old dog new tricks. "

Steve couldn't shake the bitter taste accumulating in his mouth. History was repeating itself and that didn't sit well with Steve. He liked to think he was the master of his own destiny, but fate was telling him that he was always going to be the guy that waited too long, always alone, always out of time. He was too late with Peggy and now he was yet again too late, to tell the woman he loved what she meant to him. Only this time around he's beginning to understand the pain Peggy must have went through after being left behind, the gut-wrenching guilt of survival and the strength it required to move on. Steve takes a deep breath and musters the courage to bare his soul.

"Nat, you are undoubtedly the strongest, and most inspiring person I have ever met. You make me a better version of myself and I've come to depend on you. Working with you as partners, as best friends has been the biggest blessing in my life. When we first met, I never told you this, but my life… my life was nothing before I met you. Everything and everyone I had was gone the minute I went into the ice. Until you came along and we became the backbone of the avengers. Training Wanda, Sam and Vision together, we really complimented each other in the best always pushed me and everyone around you to be better, even if it hurt you. You supported us all, in the shadows,, anticipating everyone's needs before we even knew we needed it. God, you are just so damn brilliant. And after the accords, while we were on the run… I can honestly say I've never trusted anyone more in my life. That includes Buck. I never would have survived those years without you by my side. Hell, I dare say I have come to treasure those years. It feels so wrong without you here. I guess what I'm saying is:

Natasha, I love you. For all that you are and with every fiber in my being. I want to thank you for all the good you brought to my life and to everyone around you, despite the obstacles that came with it. I will absolutely never forget you because you are my everything."

He kisses the top of her forehead and lets go of the lifeless hand that he was subconsciously holding, and rests it across her abdomen.

He's almost nearly ready to stand, but can't bring himself to.

"I know this… it might be useless at this point. But, I have to say one more thing."

He blows out a slow, shaky breath.

"I'm sorry."a choked sob escapes his lips and tears start to trickle down his cheeks. "God, I'm so sorry." He takes a deep breath and hardens his face.

"I shouldn't have said... on the bridge. I was—it was so stupid. Whatever it takes?-What was I thinking!? We… don't... we shouldn't trade lives. We weren't supposed to trade lives. You never would have been so reckless with your words. It—it wasn't worth the cost. The price we paid was too much…the price I paid... it's too damn much. " His tears have turned angry and he feels his clenched fists break skin on his palms.

He turns his gaze away from her and into the floor, with guilt-stricken features. Unable to look at her corpse any longer, he kneels next to the cot, grasping the sheets beside her body attempting to calm his anger. After a few moments, he changes positions resting on his elbows and his hands wringing together in a prayer like fashion. He readies himself for a confession that he knows will haunt him for the rest of his life, but he owes her at least that much.

"I'm sorry..." He brings his forehead to his hands as the painful words fall out of his mouth."I-I asked you to pay the ultimate price. I- let you feel expendable, and that was never my intent, never my -you-it's my fault and I'm so sorry for that. You mean the world to so many, myself included and you deserved so much more than this."

The only reply he gets is a deadly silence which fills the room.


	2. Chapter 2: A Soul for a Soul

Authors note:Natasha and the soul stone, this chapter is told in Natasha's point of view. There's a lot of speculation out there regarding what goes on while trapped in the soul stone. This is my spin on it. A dream-like inception kind of existence. Comments welcomed, thank you for reading!

**Chapter 2:"A Soul for a Soul"**

I can feel the moment my soul is ripped from my body. It's like getting the wind knocked out for the first time. A tight feeling deep in my sternum, as if my heart was torn out of my chest.

All that's left now is a shred of the little girl that once stared back through the mirror in a ballet studio, leotard and all. My eyes can hardly process what is in front of me, they're blinded by a flash of forgotten fairy-tales.

Is this ... Is this what love feels like?

My brain is trying to catch up, trying to make sense of its current reality, make sense of the emptiness that I feel in my chest but all it's getting are error messages.

No…it couldn't be that. I was never meant for that. There's no place for it, no place for me in this world. Love is for children.

And yet, I blink my eyes open to find him there. Down on one knee, capturing my hand like a delicate flower, and looking at me as if I am the world.

"Nat, Will you marry me?"

My chest tightens and I can't find my breath.

I swiftly break eye contact and begin to search for anything but his blue eyes, because if I don't my heart will surely explode. I'm so overwhelmed, it's dizzying. My mind quickly finds the distraction it seeks, a sound coming from far off in the distance, I don't recognize it's source only that it's a long shrill beeping noise. But that distraction is fleeting as I feel his strong hand squeeze my fingertips.

"Nat? Are you with me?"

"St-eve?" I start to turn back to him, but that feeling in my chest comes back tenfold… forcing my eyes shut.

"Nat! Stay with me,come on, dammit!" My face wrinkles in confusion, the urgent tone and words do not make sense and are stark contrast to his previous words.

"What... what did you say?" I whisper in disbelief as my eyes open and the pain flees. Everything appears calm, quiet, almost surreal. He's moved to a standing position and has both of my hands in his. My hand with the ring on it.

"I said, are you with me?"

"S-sorry… I thought I heard something." I can't take my eyes off the decorated finger. And catching my breath still feels nearly impossible.

His hand goes to my hair to tuck a piece behind the ear and his hand lands on my cheek, cupping my face so that my eyes reach his. My knees suddenly feel weak.

"I promise, I will make you the happiest bride. Whatever it takes." He leans in and kisses me with soft lips, I feel a chill run down my spine.

"whatever... it ...takes" I mumble, repeating the words which feel oddly familiar. Abruptly, the pain and dizziness come back with that loud beeping sound flooding my ears. And suddenly I feel gravity tilt and I am sure that I'm falling.

Falling fast, and falling far.

My body recognizes the feeling and everything comes back.

Thanos, the infinity stones, Wakanda, the quantum realm, and ...Vormir.

My heart breaks for what feels like the 100th time and the pain in my chest suddenly makes sense.

So this is what love feels like, for someone like me.

The only solace I have are the words of conviction that Steve gave us before the mission, "whatever it takes".

Just as I'm sure my body is about to impact on the deepest depths of Vormir, I feel my eyes snap open and the assault of a blinding white light.


	3. Chapter 3: The Value of a Life

**Chapter 3: The Value of a Life**

In the front of the quinjet, a tense silence fills the cabin.

"It's the right thing to do." Sam firmly states.

"Huh?" Bruce snaps his head up from his computer screen toward Sam, questioning.

"Nat wouldn't want us to keep her alive or whatever she is with those stones, if she's not alive, alive."

"No, I mean yes, you're right. It is the right thing. I just can't stop thinking about what I missed. From a scientist's perspective. My research findings on the stones with Dr. Strange, the information from our work concluded it was fool-proof. The time stone would bring back her body, undo the injuries from the fall, the reality stone combined with the soul stone would connect her soul back to her body, and create a suspension of life until we could get her heart started. We just, we just needed a simple electric shock, and…. Maybe if we get Thor."

"Bruce, stop."Bruce glances at Sam, taking his eyes off his research.

"Can't you see how unnatural this all is? Don't get me wrong I want Her back, but at what point…at what point is this wrong? Where do we draw the line?"

"We all knew what this mission was going in, and we agreed to keep it secret for a reason."

"There could be consequences, you heard that wizard guy. He wanted nothing to do with this mission."

"Like side effects? It's very possible." Bruce considers the possibility.

"I'm not talking about a headache. What if it's not HER that comes back?"

"Who else would she be?"

"Y-You know like a zombie or something!"

"Zombies? Really Sam? There's no such thing. And my research shows…"

"Stop with the science crap, it's not perfect, it can't predict everything and you out of anyone should know how risky what we are doing is. How the life we are fighting so hard for may be better off left at peace."

Bruce didn't have a response to that and busied himself with the preparations for take off. Prepping the pym particles and checking the engines of the quinjet.

"I'm going to get Steve" Sam starts to walk towards the door.

"You know, _Natasha_ never questioned the value of my life or any life for that matter." Bruse softly reminisces.

Sam stops while grabbing the door handle and winces at the sound of her name he hadn't dare say aloud, but doesn't dare turn to face Bruce.

"I-I know... I'm sorry. I-didn't mean... that was cruel."

"Do you though?...Do you know? She fought for every life no matter how small, insignificant, or even monstrous that life was. And she never batted an eye at what the consequences were."

Sam blows out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sometimes, I think that's what made following her and Steve so easy. On our first Op together, we needed to get information from this politician that Hydra had under its influence. So Cap and her take him up to the top of this roof, and Cap asks the guy what we need to know and threatens to throw him off the roof. The guy calls Cap out on his bluff," a chuckle escapes the falcon's lips as he remembers a far away time before he continues, " And you know what Cap says, 'You're right, it's her's and Natasha kicks him right off that roof, without even blinking. Ofcourse, I was there to fly by and grab him, but I don't think I've ever been that terrified of a woman so-so relentless, so breathtakingly fearless."

"She knew there were lives at risk, and that made it worth it to her. Because wherever she came from, whatever happened to her before the avengers, someone told her- no convinced her that her life didn't matter, that she was a monster and therefore, didn't matter. But somewhere along the line she learned they were wrong and made it her life's mission to prove it."

"Yeah, between her, being her and Steve's pep talks…I would have followed those two through the pits of Hell. Back then, becoming an avenger was the easiest decision."

"And now? Is being an avenger still and easy decision?"

Sam chooses not to answer and pulls the door open, re-focusing his attention on his current mission. Mentally preparing himself for the difficult task at hand, because deep down he knew that Natasha would want him to keep Steve in check, put him back together and help him move on, no matter how difficult that was going to be.


	4. Chapter 4: Her Last Words

**Chapter 4: Her Last Words**

Steve found his mind wandering to the moment he found out she was gone. One minute Tony and him were back at the U.S. army base where he was made in New Jersey and the next, they were transported back to the bridge. He still couldn't believe that he and Tony had pulled the impossible off. Then, he heard Bruce's voice to his right,

"Hey where's Nat?"

Steve looked to Clint's face. He didn't think it was possible for Barton to look anymore broken than he had since he lost his family in the Snap, but now he realized how wrong he was. Barton fell to his knees and tears continued to trail down his cheeks. Steve felt time freeze and his brain struggled to process the new information.

Then, suddenly Barton is rising from his position and grabbing Steve's collar.

"This one is on you, CAP."

Huh? What did he…just... say?

"Mr. Morality,Too good for goddamn anyone, Captain Fucking America."

"Clint-I-"

"No-don't you dare interrupt because I am only saying this once. We got to vormir and this red creature shows up out of nowhere and says to get the stone we had to trade a "soul for a soul" that was the price and you know what she said? Your words, Steve, she said "whatever it takes" … your fucking words! and She willingly sacrificed herself for this stone, fought me with every tooth and nail to jump off that damn cliff. Said she was the fucking 'logical choice'. I- I tried to stop her, but she didn't… she never understood… she truly thought she didn't deserve a life, didn't deserve a family. Her last words were "it's okay". As if- as if her life was so obviously dispensable. And that- that it was "okay" that someone made her feel that her life was so meaningless that it was "okay" for her to die!?"

Steve is shocked into silence… not fully realizing the accusation being made until his next words

"And I know I've been gone, but fuck man, once I put the pieces together I almost couldn't believe it. You, Cap, it was you who made her feel that way. You never told her, did ya?" The knowing sneer on Clint's face burned almost as much as the dark chuckle that followed.

"Pathetic. She was too fucking good for you. And now she's fucking gone."

Steve's blood had turned cold. Mind reeling on the information. He conjured up his most recent memories of her. After infinity war, things were different between them, the grief from that big of a loss divided them. He was angry with the world, he had given his life to being an avenger and all it came with was pain, all his suffering summed up to zero or less than zero Zemo could argue. He was fed up with throwing his life away with all the fighting. What did they even accomplish as avengers? Did they really make a difference? Ultimately, they were coping in different ways, he needed space from being an avenger and was working with his support groups in the city. Helping in a new way, a way that honored the memory of Sam. On the other hand, she was at the compound upstate, holding together the remaining avengers. Their opinions on the avengers were different at that time...but he cared deeply for her and continued to stop by to make sure she was okay. Sometimes he would even suggest she stopped, but her response was always admirable...

"_I used to have nothing. Then I got this. This job... this family. And I was... I was better because of it. And even though... they're gone... I'm still trying to be better." tears brimmed on the edges of her eyes as a smile crept across her lips. _

'_I think we both need to get a life.' Steve was begging her to let go, to move on with him. Begging her to stop living this life that would only ensure suffering._

"_You first." the rejection stung, but he swore he would be there when she was ready. _

And now it was too late. He should have done more for her. He should have told her how he felt about her. But he was hurting, hell the world was hurting. It never felt right, the timing, but now everything felt so unbearably wrong.


	5. Chapter 5: Whatever It Takes

**Chapter 5: Whatever It Takes**

In the dead silence of the main cabin of the quinjet, tiny cold fingers found their way around Steve's wrist.

His eyes open wide like saucers, his hand begins to shake, and he's unable to look, unable to breathe, out of fear that he's hallucinating.

"D-Did someone say they're looking for a refund?"

He turns to his head sideways to look and sure enough green eyes are glimmering back. Steve chokes on a painful sob, tear tracks evident on his face.

"N-Nat?"

Her face remained white as a ghost, but green orbs stared back at him.

"Something about the price being outrageous." her voice is scratchy, but her lips quip into her signature smirk.

He let out a laugh, but it sounded more like a sob. And brought his forehead to hers, feeling each of her breaths escape her lips. And in that instant he vowed he would be selfish for her, he would do whatever it takes to make up for lost time. Whatever it takes to convince her just how valuable, how priceless she was.

"Steve…" she dared to whisper. Astonished by how wrecked he was. He buried his head in her lap and let out the rest of his tears, while she managed to run her fingers through his hair.

"Hey soldier."

"I—" Steve was interrupted as Sam entered the main cabin. He froze at the sight ahead of him.

"My God... Banner get in here!" Sam shouted to the front and the Hulk quickly appeared.

"What's… She'... oh wow. Yeah let me take a look here." Banner began connecting machines that verified what they all knew, she was alive.


	6. Chapter 6: It's Okay

**Chapter 6: It's Okay**

Steve was constantly learning that no matter how much experience he had in saving the world, he was still so naive. He thought once he had her back everything would be okay, back to how it was before, but in this line of work... nothing is ever that simple.

He found himself unable to sleep the first night she was back, his emotions taught and mind racing. He tried resting next to her in bed, but it was far too soon for him to see her lying unconscious. Once he was sure she had fallen asleep, he closed his eyes, only to flash back to the moment when he found her on Vormir. All he could see was the blood pooling under her fiery hair, there was so much blood. Steve's eyes flung open in panic, only to see her body lying with a very similar stillness next to him and he lost it. Steve jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. His heart pounded in his chest, sweat trailed down his face and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He barely made it to the toilet before the contents of his stomach climbed its way up his throat. Steve's body was responding as if he were right there at the time of her fall—no her jump to her death, her sacrifice.

"Fuck" he muttered as he wiped his mouth and sat on the floor of the bathroom, back resting against the wall.

"Maybe tomorrow."

A voice came from his left. Her voice.

"Steve?" Her eyebrow quirked up in concern after getting no response from the soldier.

Steve let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as she made her way closer.

"Everything alright?"

"Ye-ah, I'm okay."

"Looks like much hasn't changed while I was...away. You're still a terrible liar."

The uncharacteristic pause she held before "away" did not go unnoticed by him… the careful tiptoe around traumatic words like death or suicide. Steve hung his head between his legs.

"So that's what we're calling it, huh? "Away" Like you went on some vacation?"

"Let me rephrase that, you look like hell. Talk to me."

Steve let out a deep sigh."I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

She smiled at him reassuringly," it's okay."

And Steve's mind quickly recognized the phrase, the same words she said before she… his stomach lurched for the second time that morning as he emptied more bile into the toilet bowl.

"Fuck..." He sat back down and glanced over to her briefly and returned his gaze to the floor.

"That day, on the bridge when you didn't come back. I—I didn't know what to do. I never had imagined that was possible. We— Do you remember the last thing you said to me?" He looked up at her searching for eye contact.

'"See you in a minute'" she muttered and averted her stare away from him.

"It-it was as if we were all just doing the most casual thing in the world. Clint, he said— he said you traded your soul for the stone... what does that even mean, Nat?— did you really...?" Steve suddenly found his throat dry and he never felt less brave in his life, realizing he didn't have the guts to say it, to ask her if she willingly jumped off the ledge of vormir.

"Do you remember the last thing you said to me?" She hardly gave him time to respond and continued onto make her point. "'whatever it takes' you said we had to do whatever it takes to get the stones, so I did exactly that, Whatever it took"

She walked away without a glance or another word and found her way back into bed. Steve remained staring at the bathroom tiles, still too shaken by the tricks his mind was playing on him. They had completed their mission, achieved the impossible. Found her body on Vormir and somehow used the stones to revive her. It was in this moment Steve truly understood that despite it all, things were far from "okay".


	7. Chapter 7: Becoming a Hero

**Chapter 7: Becoming a Hero**

That next morning Steve wasn't surprised to find her gone from the bed. Since the snap, it had become a routine for either of them to cure a sleepless night by training until their body was numb whenever they needed time to "process".

Sure enough, Natasha had been working the bag like it was Thanos himself since dawn. She slowed her punches as she felt a second presence enter the gym.

"Damn, Natasha… we could have used punches like those against big bad purple in that final battle."

"Oh, please Sam. Flattery will get you nowhere with me. " She steps away from the bag, grabs her water bottle and starts to dry off with a towel.

"Alright, I'll shoot straight. How are you doing? Ya know, after dying and coming back to life among the living?"

"Clint hasn't said a word to me. And Steve..."

"Yeah, Vormir really did a number on both of them..."

"..." Natasha ignored the soft attempt at information.

"What… what really happened out there?" There it is, an actual question.

"What needed to be done." Nice try, but she was not going there. She had already lived-well- experienced that moment and wasn't ready to go there again. Not so soon and not ever again if she had a choice.

"That's hardly an answer." Sam sure as hell shot straight. It was a quality that Natasha had respected and appreciated while they were on the run after the Accords. However, right now it was a pain in her ass.

"You weren't even there. You didn't have to…to survive those 5 years... With everyone just … gone." The excuse she gave was weak, it was whiny… it didn't sound like her.

"Sorry, I was too busy being dusted."

"Sam" she gave him a look, her eyes telling him to cut the shit "What's next? Don't even try to tell me you wouldn't have done the same exact thing as me if you were at Vormir?"

"I never said I wouldn't."

"But Steve did."

"Did he now?"

"Not exactly, but I could tell… if he could get more than a few words out on the topic without becoming physically ill, I know he would be giving me the 10th degree."

"Yeah… that sounds about right. You should of seen him on Vormir."

Natasha's face palled at that thought.

" I- Uh..."

"Didn't think of that did you?"

"No… uh… how did…how did you guys ...find me?"

Sam glanced over at her, taking a mental note of her pauses…she seemed so uncharacteristically unprepared for the situation at hand.

"Well after we used the stones to win against thanos, we had to return them back to their timeline so that we didn't create alternate realities or something like that. So naturally Cap had volunteered to return them. But big Green and Cap came up with a plan to get you back. We had to go to vormir to get your body and use the stones on you."

"Use the stones on my body?" the words fall out of her mouth in a soft utter of disbelief. She's listening, but the information sounds foreign. It doesn't sound real. It doesn't sound like it happened to her, to her body.

"Heh- yeah I'm not too sure on the specifics and to be honest I don't think Banner is either, but by some miracle it worked. It wasn't pretty by any means, but it worked."

"Wasn't pretty?"

"We're talking CPR for 30minutes…. And if I'm being perfectly honest." Sam raised his eyes to meet hers " I was against using the stones… it felt… unnatural to me."

So that's why my ribs feel like hell.

"So yeah, give Steve a minute here, he's gonna need a breath before things are normal again."

"And Clint?"

"Well, now that one… might take longer. He didn't even want to hear about the plan to retrieve you."

"Where is he?"

"At the farm, with his family."

"Laura? The kids?" Her eyes nearly bulge, of course. They're back.

"Yep, all of them. As if the stones never existed."

"I have to-" She needs to see them, needs to make sure they're okay, make sure Clint is okay.

"Natasha." Sam stops her line of thinking by putting an arm to her shoulder, "Clint's fine… he'll come around...you're needed more here."

"Steve's fine."Sam gives her a look of disbelief.

"Is he, now? And what about you?"

"He's…We're fine. Bruce did some scans, it checked out... I'm fine."

"Look, I know it's easy to focus on other people's problems, it's natural for people like us to want to help others."

"Like us?"

"Avengers, you know... heroes." she cringes at the words.

"I-"

"Romanoff, come on now, you're smarter than this." His tone is gentle, but the disappointment is still there.

"..."

"I don't expect an answer but I want you to consider this: how is what you did… how is that any different from what Steve, Captain America… the greatest Hero in American History, did back in the 1940's when he crashed the Valkyrie into the ice?"

"I-" Sam holds up his hand to stop her. "Save it, I'm not the one that needs to hear that answer."

And with that he left her to her thoughts.


End file.
